


Are you ready?

by anxioussquirrel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M, just a glimpse, no infidelity, non-canon compliant, the moment of choice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 05:47:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20420915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anxioussquirrel/pseuds/anxioussquirrel
Summary: Time to end. Time to begin.





	Are you ready?

“Are you ready to go?” she asks her husband, stifling yet another yawn. It’s been a long day at work, and now the clock has struck two in the morning. The gathering is finally coming to an end; only a handful of people are still sitting at their tables.

Harry doesn’t react, his attention focused on something across the vast room. Ginny follows his eyes.

Draco Malfoy is standing in the doorway, all sharp contrasts as he leans against the rich mahogany, and for once he’s not wearing the perfect host expression. Perhaps it’s the exhaustion or the late hour, but the mask has slipped now, leaving only the grieving son, plain to see for anyone who cares to look. Ginny’s heart aches for him, even though she’s never really learned to like him. Losing a parent must be terrible. Losing both within a year seems unimaginable to her. How does one get up and go on after that?

But it’s the look on Harry’s face, when she turns to him to repeat the question, that truly steals her breath away. There’s such longing there. She can’t remember a time when he looked at her like that—if he ever did. His brow is creased with worry and his fingers tight on the edge of the table, as if he’s barely holding on against the urge to go there—go to Draco.

It would be so easy to explain it away if she chose to do so. Harry and Draco are friends, after all. Somehow, between Ron moving to Spain with his new bride and Hermione working all hours at Hogwarts, the two developed an unlikely friendship, based on bitching about their superiors at the Ministry, early morning Quidditch, and Teddy Lupin.

It must have been difficult for Harry to keep away tonight, during Narcissa’s funeral at dusk and the whole evening since. But he did, at Draco’s request. Apparently, The Proper Pureblood Way of grieving involves keeping a careful distance from everyone while organizing an extravagant wake for a hundred people.

Harry’s way involves tea and a lot of hugs. So naturally he aches to comfort his friend now. Ginny could say she understands that.

Except she doesn’t believe in lying to herself.

She knew this day would come. Harry and she are no more than roommates these days, connected only by the address, finances, and the common bedroom. Even then, the bedroom is only where they retire for the night, backs to each other in the cool sheets. Nothing more than that has happened there in months. Harry’s just not that interested, and Ginny has started to catch herself thinking of other men recently, when she touches herself in the darkness before he comes to bed.

She knew it was only a matter of time. And she knew who she’d be losing him to. Probably before he ever did.

Not for the first time, Ginny thinks how lucky it is that they haven’t got children. She’d been worried, before; two years since they’d decided to give up the contraception potions, she insisted on visiting the fertility Healer. He said there was nothing wrong with either of them, to just give it time and enjoy the process.

Now she wonders if perhaps they just weren’t meant to build a family together.

Another group of guests gets up to go, and Draco struggles visibly for composure as he accepts their condolences once more. A distressed sound escapes Harry’s lips, unnoticed, and his fingers whiten on the edge of the table. This must be torture for him, not to be able to take care of someone important to him in a time of need. Not being allowed to help.

She touches his arm, and he snaps out of it, eyes wide and apologetic.

“Are you ready to go?” she asks again, feeling calmer than she has expected when she thought about this moment.

With one last baleful look in Draco’s direction, Harry straightens his shoulders and nods. “Yeah. Sure.”

He moves to stand up, but Ginny catches his hand and he stills, confused.

“Go, then,” she says with a sad smile. She nods in the direction of the door, where Draco looks as if he’s about ready to slump to the floor. “Go to him.” 

Harry frowns. “What?”

“I’m setting you free, Harry. We both know it’s time. He needs you. And I suspect you need him too.”

“But… Ginny—” He wants to, so clearly. His body turns in Draco’s direction even as his eyes stay on her. Still he hesitates, always the good guy determined to do the right thing.

She puts her hand on his cheek. “Do you love him?” she asks quietly, and he pauses, looking haunted, before nodding.

Ginny smiles. “Good. Then go to him. I hope you’re happy together.” She stands up and kisses his forehead. “I’ll be at the Burrow. Come find me in a few days. We’ll talk then.”

Harry catches her hand and presses a kiss to it. The warmth lingers even when he lets go to whisper, “Thank you.”

She nods and turns to leave. When she looks back one last time, Harry is all the way across the room, holding Draco tight. Only the white blond hair is visible where Draco has his face buried in Harry’s shoulder; his hands are bunched in desperate fists against the back of Harry’s dress robes.

Ginny looks around the empty ballroom and catches the eye of the house elf peeking from around the bar. She nods at him.

“Make sure to get old Mrs. Bawlington home, will you?” she says, indicating the ancient little witch snoozing in the last occupied chair.

The house elf bows. “Yes, Missus Potter.”

“And when you’re done, get them lots of good tea, okay? They’re gonna need it.”


End file.
